Joe Barnett

Always be humble, gentle, and patient.                —Ephesians 4:2 Do you remember the tale about the guy who came to work out of sorts? His secretary asked, “Did you wake up grouchy this morning?” He said, “No, I let her sleep.” Consider these two lists: Cranky                            Pleasant Critical 

Let the little children come to me.            —Mark 10:14 Vince Gerhardy tells about a Sunday school teacher who introduced her little ankle biters to Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. . . .” The following week she asked if anyone could quote Psalm 23. A

Comfort, comfort my people.            —Isaiah 40:1 I received word recently that a Christian brother has stage four pancreatic cancer that has metastasized to his liver and stomach. I sent his grieving wife a note; then fired off another to a dear lady who had experienced a similar ordeal a few

I am making everything new.      —Revelation 21:5 Non-fiction books often begin with a prologue and end with an epilogue. A prologue is an opening section that introduces the main story, usually giving backstory information about the primary characters that connects them to the main story. You’re living a non-fiction life, with its ups-and-downs,

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him.        —Romans 15:13 For centuries art critics have debated whether or not Leonardo DaVinci’s Mona Lisa is smiling. Playwright Sir Noel Coward said, “she looks as if she has been sick, or is about to be.”

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.      —Romans 12:3 Essayist JaneYolen wrote: “The best writers are the ones who really, in their heart of hearts, aspire to the byline Anon [Anonymous]. The story told is important, not the storyteller.” The late Dr. Norvel Young, past president of Pepperdine University, often

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.                —Proverbs 18:10 My firstborn’s safe place was my lap, with two fingers of his right hand in his mouth and his left hand clutching the corner of a frayed security blanket,

A true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.                            —John 1:47 When Nathanael was told that Jesus of Nazareth was the one Moses and the prophets had written about, he sneered: “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” I give a thumbs-down

I’ll forever wipe the slate clean of their sins.                         —Hebrews 10:17 Alexander Hartdegen, the protagonist in H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine, built a vehicle that hurled him more than 800,000 years into the future. He had hoped to use it to change the